MAY 22 Tuesday.

I look over the large tooth with attentive eyes as I try to envision what I want to do with it.

After some thought I realized I could do more with the tooth than just make decorations, it's a magically attuned material and a high-quality one at that. It's one of the primary fangs from a predator that was very capable of using wind magic, and even more interestingly I also have something to go along with it.

I'm sitting in Gaia's Eden with the wolf fang and a small cloudy white gem, the Wind gem I got from the Dragon Lands. Both would work very well together and could create a decently powerful artifact, but that's where I got stumped by everything. What should I make that uses wind magic?

I could make something to help me fly faster? But I only fly when convenient or needed so I'm not sure how much use I'd get out of something like that. I could also go with something more offensive? I don't need that either though, I'm more than capable of defending myself and dealing out damage.

I try to come up with anything that might work, but am interrupted by the sensation of space bending and flexing in an odd way. A moment later I sense Celestia teleport into her home and seems to slump a little bit when she arrives, I guess she's been dealing with something or other.

I think for a long moment and shrug to myself. :Maybe she has an idea? I could use a second set of eyes: I grab the gem and tooth along with my carving tool set. The tooth is the size of one of my hindlegs so I don't need to use all of it on one item, and with the right tools I can carve it however needed.

As I walk over I watch as Celestia seems to look at me through a wall after moving things around inside, somehow detecting me as I near her house. She seems to really focus but doesn't do much else as I knock, "Come in, watch your hooves." I raise a brow and open the door, only to see several documents all lying around along with a few boxes and folders.

I glance over and see all her regalia on her table with her laying on the floor and looking at a document. She smiles but it falters a little as she sees the tooth I'm carrying. "Well, you seem to be up to something. As always." She teases me a bit. "I'm sorting some paperwork, the castle was a bit too loud so I thought why not." I look at some of them and notice most are simple stuff.

I nod and move to sit down not far away. "I'm trying to figure out what to make, I have a good Wind gem and this tooth, I was thinking maybe something to fly faster? I could just store a strong attack spell, but that seems unnecessary." I share my thoughts quickly while watching her.

I see her magic reach into a pocket of my saddlebags and take out some tea, I never change the spot so she knows it well. "I ran out of mint." She explains and finds the right flavor before putting the rest back. I don't mind as she is welcome to help herself to it.

She looks at the tooth with a slightly somber look but does seem intrigued by the prospect. "You use a Partial Pegasi Transformation spell, right?" I nod and show the matrix in the air, she looks at it for a moment and snorts. "Of course you remade it. It doesn't let you manipulate clouds though, maybe something along those lines?" She suggests and settles right into helping me.

I can't see much of a use for that, but I don't really have any better ideas. I take the Wind gem out of my saddlebags and she looks at it with clear interest. "No, then, that is far too large for something so simple." I try my best to ignore her wording and pull my mind away from the thoughts it brings up.

Cadance really got me good with that damned letter. I expected something like glitter or fire, but what I got was so much worse. It was a highly detailed description of Celestia's cutie mark, using many words that sounded fine, until you thought about it in a less pure way. Needless to say, I burnt that letter to ash.

She looks at me expectantly and I pass the gem over for her to inspect. The cloudy white and light blue gem is already roughly cube-shaped, it would be relatively easy to cut into shape for me. "Wind, there are several uses." She takes out some blank papers and I look down at her document for a moment.

"Storage index?" I ask and as expected she passes me a piece of paper after a moment. I look it over and she's mostly sorting them by location and importance, with a list of names denoting both. I just silently start to pick up a letter and read the name before placing it in the right folder, helping her just as easily as she helps me.

I see her smirk from the corner of my eye as she sees what I'm doing. She brings a teapot from under her wing along with a pair of cups and just starts making tea for us as we both settle in. "Wind could be a good combination with other elements, definitely fire, but that also seems like a waste of such a good combination." She reasons and I nod along in agreement.

I enjoy the feeling of spending time with a friend spontaneously instead of on a schedule. "Wind is honestly not that useful to me, I mean I am an Earth Pony. Also, how did you know I was coming?" She raises a brow. "I sensed you turning your head when I got close, a new trick?" I explain with some curiosity.

She gives me a teasing smile that I know all too well. "Well, a curious stallion looking at a mare in her own home, for shame." I just give her a deadpan look and try to hide a slight blush behind my expression, while also trying my best to forget the letter Cadance sent me as she giggles. "You inspired me, I thought it would be interesting to use my own affinity a little more." She reveals with a smirk.

I blink at that and remember that her only affinity is Solar magic. "Wait, how does- Oh, I was in the sunlight." She smiles more and nods. "Were you tracking the sun's rays and sensing when I moved through them?" I quickly came up with a more obvious way to sense someponies presence with just sunlight.

She stops and looks up from the paper she's been scribbling on, showing that she's sketching out ways to carve the Wind gem and random ideas. She looks intrigued again and also a little annoyed. "Half right, I'm sensing the lessened sunlight from a shadow being cast. I wonder." She turns to look out the window and outside I see a few small rocks float up as she closes her eyes.

Her eyes stay closed for a minute as I continue to sort documents and letters, when she opens her eyes again, I notice they have a golden glow to them for a few moments. The glow is quite striking and I'd be lying if I said it didn't look awesome. "It seems I get to thank you yet again." She says with a smile and a slightly excited look in her eyes as they return to normal.

I wave it off and she looks at the small floating rocks outside for a second before letting them fall down. "Hmm, what about air trotting?" She recommends and I tilt my head a little. "It's not perfect, but it is useful in several ways and you could make a good artifact for it. Maybe a little simple for this gem, but an idea." She explains with a teacher's tone.

It is a bit simple, but so were my ideas and she's not wrong about it being useful. Sure I could make a spell to do the same thing, having the ability to not only walk on air but to give that ability to others could be nice. "Sure, I could even let others use it if needed, or make it give the effect to everypony in an area?" I take a notebook to make some notes of my own.

She tilts her left ear. "Possibly, it wouldn't last too long depending on the amount of creatures. You are right that wind doesn't fit you too well, even your armor and fighting style are best with solid ground beneath your hooves. Actually..." She starts to sketch something else and moves the page over to me.

The sketch is simple, a hoof standing on a magical barrier. "Why not instead make something to always have under your hooves? It would be about as versatile and would let you fight better on uneven terrain." She explains and I notice she's actively trying to help me fight better.

Like nearly every Pony Celestia is not one for violence, but it seems she's willing to help me be more effective if it helps me remain alive. Air walking spells take several forms, some simply provide enough upward thrust to keep you in the air or let you stand on something semi-solid, and some even let you ice-skate on air.

Most don't make actual solid platforms, mostly because that means the spell is relying on them not accidentally slipping. It's not unheard of but not the preferred method either. I nod in agreement and form a few spell rings in the air, all blank in between, before opening my bracelet's illusionary notebook to look at some runes to figure out a good place to start.

I see Celestia jump a bit and it only takes me a moment to realize I never showed this to her and it seems I got a little too relaxed, fuck. In the past, I never had a reason to show her this, and I guess the thought never really came to mind, at least not for a long time now. I did have a few reasons for keeping it private though.

Well, the cats out of the bag now, and it's not like this is some world-ending thing, I just need to be careful about how it gets used. I turn to her curious and highly interested face. "I never did show this one, did I?" I ask, trying to show the very real forgetfulness I had.

She shakes her head. "Well, it's simple really. You know those illusion spells that let you paint?" She nods. "Well, this is that." I still have no intention of releasing this spell to the public, but I can't see a reason to not tell her about it. "Here, just don't write over anything already there." I move her over to a mostly blank page as I pass her the bracelet.

She looks at the wooden bracelet before reaching out a hoof and drawing a circle on the illusionary page. She looks back at me looking thoroughly impressed, "You used an illusion as a base to make a page to write in. That's, genius!!" She says, being a little louder than expected. "How many pages does it have?" She asks and starts to draw more.

I didn't really expect her to be this excited, but I just shrug a little and try to remember. "The bracelet has a very pure diamond, less than an inch big, I think? It holds about seventy pages and each can be filled completely, no colors though." I explain and she gets more excited hearing the number.

She played around with it for a few moments and wrote progressively smaller words. "This is amazing, so much information in such a small place. You could fit a library in a house if done right." At this point, she's kind of nerding out about it. "When did you make this? And how does it work?" She asks and starts to just draw things.

I pause for a moment and she looks at me as I tense a little, I sigh. "I originally made it to safely store more sensitive information. I can easily lock it with spells and rig it to self-destruct. I made it a few years ago, and there are several reasons I never intend to publish it." She blinks a bit as the reality of my invention seems to settle in more.

She looks back at the bracelet. "Ahh." I nod as it seems to occur to her. "Libraries, so much would be disrupted. And the amount of gems needed for such a thing to be wide scale, along with the many other possibilities." My words and her conclusions dampen her excitement a large amount. "Still, the good it could do." She says almost wistfully.

I nod but keep a smile and a lighter attitude. "That and things like crime. Mostly gem supply though, a decent medium ruby can only hold about four times that diamond, it's just not efficient enough, books are superior still." I am glad in a way she realizes the problems easily, but I can tell she won't just leave this discovery alone. "Combine that with the gems we need for the Changelings, and the war, and my other inventions..." I trail off as I break it down in detail and she nods slowly.

She holds the bracelet after drawing a little more, looking over the design of winding roots. Despite the problems, she keeps her large smile and seems to fully perk up again. "I've seen it many times, inventions that the world still needs to catch up to. I would like a copy of those spells if you are willing?" She asks and I can tell she's giving me a way to say no and keep it fully secret.

I think about it for a long moment before eventually nodding. I can't see how this would go too wrong, it is likely I would have released it eventually when things were more stable. She's right in that the spells could do a lot of good, but at the moment they would be disruptive at a time where that is dangerous.

I sigh and decide to just share my fears for once. "As a start, I am really reluctant to give it out. Just with the Changelings, it could go wrong, they would be able to store and move information in new, unseen ways. That could do a lot of damage." I share a big fear but not the only one.

Celestia gives me a reassuring look and nods, seeming to take my concern seriously. "Shade." I turn to meet her eyes. "This is something you made, I won't let anypony take it without permission, not even me." I'm a little shaken by the firmness she has in her tone and the serious look in her eyes.

She smiles and gives me the bracelet back. "I have seen many problems arise in new inventions, you do better than most in thinking about how to prevent such things." She shares more wisdom and keeps a kind stare. "So yes, it may be unlikely, and it is a valid fear. There will be problems, there always are."

I smirk and try to break the silently more tense mood. "That's why I send them to you, I don't like dealing with those problems, and you're much more qualified, and no paperwork." I give a genuine compliment but use a joking tone that earns me a roll of the eyes and a small giggle.

She moves her neck down to stare at me at the same height. "I know, and I am happy you trust me with them. This is YOUR invention, I will do nothing more than ask, the choice is yours alone." She insists with a firm and kind tone. This mare, she never stops reminding me how good of a friend she is.

I smile and think for a minute. "I will give it to YOU, for now I think it's best we wait a while to release it. Hmm, better yet, I'll let you decide when the best time is, you will have all the time needed after all." I say with a bit of hesitation, and the beaming smile I get back almost makes up for any worries I have in agreeing to do this. "Do be careful though, gems can break and when they do everything inside will be lost." I point out the main downside in a serious tone.

She nods and doesn't look dissuaded. "Then I will wait, and ask you again when the time fits better. I promise." She adds after a beat of silence and I take that promise seriously. She's never broken a promise to me yet, and I don't think she will. "So, how does it actually work?" She asks, her curiosity reigniting as I copy over a few runes to my paper notebook.

I give her an appreciative and grateful look before putting my bracelet back on. "Each page is just a different enchantment, a very simple and modifiable illusion." I move a few pages and show some of my notes on the Dragon Lands that still remain inside. "Beyond that, it's just a frame spell to hold them together and a few small things," I say while writing out the spells needed.

It takes me a moment to write it all out and I include the illusionary page copying spell for good measure. I pass the papers over but she doesn't take them immediately. She looks me in the eyes once again, "Are you sure?" I nod with some confidence as I believe I can trust her. "Then thank you, I will keep it a secret." She states again.

She places the notes under her wing and I sit in silence for a long few moments. I'm not sure if that was the right choice, but my friend has earned my trust. I turn back to my earlier notes and remind myself of what we were talking about before. "Moving on before I can succumb to my worries, what shape of the gem would be best for this project." I try to force my mind from my worries by changing the subject.

She knows full well what I want to do and follows right along, not missing a beat. She passes me the paper she's been drawing on. "A cube is fine, and with the rough shape it already has it should be easy enough." She smiles happily as I move on to one of her favorite subjects.

I nod as I form an idea and motion for the gem back, she raises a brow but passes it back as I suspend it in the air in front of me. I take a deep breath to make sure I am calm and start to focus solely on the gem, sensing it thoroughly with my space magic to take in all its features and curves.

It takes me a minute, but I'm able to map out six sides that will make a perfect cube while losing the least amount of material. I slowly and firmly control my space magic to make a cut, a quick and very quiet pop sounds out and Celestia's brow jumps in surprise while she looks a bit worried and annoyed.

It only takes me a fraction of a moment to repeat the process, another pop and another side cut. In a short few seconds, every side is cut perfectly, with me keeping the six cut-off sides in place with my space magic. "What did you d-" She's cut off as I pull away all the sides, leaving only the center.

Overall we lost about half an inch on the sides of the gem, pretty good from my understanding. The two-and-a-half-inch cube is perfect on all sides and completely consistent, turns out measuring things with the fabric of space can be very consistent when you form magical lines denoting length from memory.

The end product is a perfect cube, or as close as I could get which is pretty damned close. The edges look very sharp and the points could probably stab you. The gem is a little more clear but still has a cloudy bluish appearance like someone filled a glass cube with the sky.

Before I can bring it to me a hoof reaches out and snatches it away, Celestia bringing the newly cut gem close to her face with an extremely critical eye. She looks it over for a long moment and looks back at me with a mix of annoyance and surprise. "If you broke a gem like this in front of me, I would give Entropy something to CREATE glitter." She threatens and I give her a shocked look.

Celestia has rarely threatened me, and she only does so with full intention to carry the threat out. I nod quickly and she drops the look before clapping excitedly with her hooves. "I've never seen a gem cut like this!! It's beyond smooth, I feel as if trying to polish it would only tarnish it. How?" She demands, seemingly lost in her love for her hobby.

I quickly answer as it seems I've found one thing Celestia takes seriously, her former profession that she's written two books on... I should have seen that coming in hindsight. "Spatial cutting. It took a while to get it stable enough to do it without... Breaking, anything. It works now though!!" I add as she glares a little bit.

She huffs and I make a mental reminder to not disrespect a gem cutter, or the profession at all, especially around her. She nods and looks at the small gem for several more moments, "It doesn't seem to damage the gem at all, can you make more cuts? As in diagonal ones?" I nod and she smiles widely. "Perfect."

She doesn't elaborate as I passed back the gem and she looks down at the documents still on the floor. "Later." She decided and all of them are levitated in an impressive display, all being placed inside a box and moved to the side. She looks at the tooth I have next to me and the gem. "So, how do you wish to do this?"

I once again try my best to ignore her word choice, pretending to not see the smile she has at my slight reaction. I pick up the tooth and flip it around to get a good look. I didn't pull out the entire tooth so the somewhat hollow inside where nerves and flesh once were is exposed.

The inside of the tooth is hollow for around half the length of its length, and staring at it gives me an idea. I lay it down with the tooth’s pointed end aimed at the ceiling so I could rest it on the flat side I made when cutting it off the wolf. I focus on my space magic once again.

The very base of the tooth is around eight inches in diameter, which should work well for my idea. There is another small pop and I feel my recovering magic supply dip again as I cut off one inch of the tooth from its base. I move the tooth out of the way and see a one-inch thick and eight-inch wide ring of white material remain on the floor.

I have an interesting idea for this artifact but I want to save the largest ring of the tooth for something else down the road, so I spend a moment moving the first ring to the side and cutting another ring off of the tooth. The second ring is a bit smaller and I cut it into four even pieces with two quick cuts, I place three pieces to the side and leave the remaining one.

The piece is four inches long and an inch thick along its curved length. "This should be enough, I'm thinking of making this gathering more air magic, it blasted wind from its mouth so it should be good at channeling it," I explain and leave it open for advice.

She nods and looks at the gem again. "For that, we want to leave some of the gems partly exposed as well, maybe embed it?" She offers and I lay out my tool kit while she happily starts to look through them. She stops after a moment and looks around before turning back to me. "Thank you." I look back at her confused. She just looks happily down at me. "I don't remember the last time I got to do something like this, so thank you. Now, let's make an artifact."

I can't help but smile at the happy and cheerful tone she has, far away from her normal royal one and seemingly free. "Then thank you for helping. Hmm, have you worked with bone? I heard it can be tricky, ahh, who cares, we have more anyway." I say with some excitement and settle in for an interesting time.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading. :}
Current year is 996

I started this wanting to take a trip to Ponyville, then these two took over the entire damn chapter. Enjoy.